Race walkers relate to Olympic competition

For most of the sports at the Beijing Olympics, common folk watched in awe, repeating phrases such as, "That's unbelievable," or "They're so good."

At least one mesmerizing sport, though, brought out a different phrase. For those who watched any of the three race walking competitions, it was common to say something along the lines of, "How do they do that?"

Race walkers Ben Aleks of Somers and Jacob Robinson of Longmeadow can help explain how, in fact, those Olympians "do that."

Race walkers must land on their heels, instead the balls of their feet; and they can't bend their forward leg.

"When you run, you run pretty much on the balls of your feet," said Aleks, 61, who has been race walking competitively for four years. "But in this case, you land on your heel. If you alter that, you can be disqualified."

If a competitor breaks either of the above rules, that person is given a warning and can be disqualified from a race.

A key to the sport is finding a rhythm, with the swinging hips and pumping arms providing much-needed momentum.

"It's easy to get out of the rhythm, and then you have to start all over again," said Aleks, a former high school wrestling coach at Cathedral and Enrico Fermi.

"You need to develop a habit, that's all," said Robinson, 86, a 10-year veteran of the sport.

Aleks said race walking is tiring, adding that the sport is like sprinting in a walking motion.

"You do need a lot of endurance. I do the 1,500-meter and it's very difficult," Aleks said.

But both Aleks and Robinson said the sport is participant friendly, in that it doesn't beat up a person's body. Unlike running, there is little wear and tear.

For Robinson, race walking helped save his life. He suffered a massive stroke in 2006. He remarkably rebounded, and won a silver medal and a bronze medal in race walking at the 2007 National Senior Games in Kentucky.

Robinson's doctors said his commitment to exercising, which include running 3 miles a day three times a week for 29 years before he picked up the sport of race walking, contributed to his staying alive and recovery.

"The doctors said they didn't know if I was going to live that day," Robinson said. "They said the routine of my exercise saved my life, and to not ever forget it."

The men competed in the 20K and 50K at the Olympics, while the women participated in a 20K race.